Page 41 of The Problem with Perfect

She pauses. “But?”

“But…there’s a lot riding on this, too.”

“Like what?”

I blow out a breath and flick my blinker, preparing to turn down the dusty road leading to Forks, the closed campground I’m fairly certain only remains so because townies have commandeered it for Sunday bonfire nights during the summer.

“Well, Boyd and Jackson are investors, and there’s the pressure of making sure they feel like their investments were worth it.”

Pressure doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel about it.

“I mean, I’ve always been thankful for Boyd helping me get off the ground and then Jackson buying in once he’d found his own success. I couldn’t have gotten Cedar Cider to where it is today without them, but even though they’ve made their investments back, now we’re investing even more into it with this brewery.” I shrug. “It’s a big project with a lot of overhead, and if we make a mistake, we might go under really quickly. My mind is constantly thinking about finding success and whether or not we have it in us to create a company that can last the long haul.”

My Blazer wobbles on the dirt road as we transition off the paved street.

“Then there’s the personal hit I take any time something goes wrong, because I always feel like it’s my fault, whether that’s true or not. We were supposed to start construction in March but we had a snow delay, so I’ve been wondering if I could have done more to avoid that.”

It’s easy to say weather can’t be controlled, but at the same time, could I have done more research on weather patterns and picked a different date to start construction? Maybe I didn’t do anything wrong, but it stillfeelslike I did.

“And then there’s the town.”

“What do you mean?”

I chuckle as we pass by cars parked along the side of the road.

“You know what I mean,” I reply, pulling over when I spot a space and shifting into park. “This town isn’t a big fan of me, you know? So it feels like everyone’s watching me, just waiting for me to fail.”

Bellamy turns in her seat to face me, a fierce expression filling her features.

“Rusty, that isnottrue.”

I give her a slightly embarrassed smile. “Itistrue.”

“No, it’snot.” She leans forward, her brows dipped as she glares at me. “This townlovesthe Fuller family.”

“They loved my parents, and they love my sister.” I shake my head. “I know it’s unfamiliar to you. Everyone has always loved you, Cedar Point’s favorite daughter.”

Bellamy rolls her eyes. “That’s a ridiculous nickname and it’s categorically false.” She moves even closer, placing her hand on top of mine where it rests on my knee. “You might have some bad history with a few people, and yeah, there might be a bit of gossip about how often you head to Lucky’s during tourist season…”

I laugh under my breath, and Bellamy gives me a small smile before her face turns serious, as do her words.

“…but everyone knows who the real Rusty Fuller is. He’s a man who has sacrificed so much to take care of his sister, a man who has worked his ass off to create a thriving local business.” She squeezes my hand. “You are an incredible brother and friend, and anyone who thinks otherwise doesn’t really know you and shouldn’t warrant your concern.”

My heart thunders in my chest, the overwhelm of her esteem filling up a well I didn’t even realize had run dry. Bellamy Mitchell just knocked me on my ass, and she did it while building me up.

Without allowing myself to think too much about it, I lean forward and press my lips to hers, wanting nothing more than to be close to her. I can tell I’ve surprised her by the way she freezes, but it only lasts a few seconds before her mouth opens almost tentatively.

The taste of her explodes on my tongue, and I reach forward, slipping my hands to either side of her face. My tongue twists with hers, and I can feel myself growing hard as she moans softly. She does that nibbling thing, like she did the other night at the bar, and I groan, sliding my hands into her hair and deepening our kiss, tilting her head just how I want it as I lick deeply into her mouth. I breathe her in, feeling lost in everything about her, and for the first time in a long time, the storm inside me quiets.

I barely notice when there’s a tapping noise on the hood of my ride, but Bellamy notices and jumps back, pulling away from me with wide eyes—though whether from the surprise of the knocking sound or the surprise of our kiss, I’m not sure. We look through the windshield, and I grit my teeth when I see Connor and Stace, hand in hand.

Stace is waving, a big smile on her face. She looks like she’s laughing, and I can only imagine she’s giggling at having found us making out like teenagers in my car before a bonfire night.

Connor, though, has a sour expression on his face. He looks at me and gives me a three-finger salute before wrapping his arm around Stace’s shoulders, leading her off in the direction of the campground.

“Good call.”

I quirk a brow and look back at Bellamy.

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